Tips for an Eco-Friendly Wedding
BY FLINT HILL
Weddings are beautiful occasions that bring people together to celebrate love and new beginnings. However, these elegant events can lead to a lot of waste if you are not careful. Transportation to and from the wedding, using paper and plastic utensils, and throwing away leftover food are some of the few ways that weddings can be detrimental to the environment. Luckily, we have some tips to share with you about how to successfully pull off an eco-friendly wedding. We want to make sure your wedding is everything you ever dreamed of and more, while also watching out for the environment.
Tip # 1: Use eco-conscious stationery brands.
Engagement announcements, save the dates, wedding invitations, and RSVP cards are very wasteful, but they do not have to be if you opt for eco-friendly alternatives. There are many stationary companies that use recycled paper, “green” printing methods, and local printing to reduce the waste from shipping. These eco-friendly wedding invitations still look as beautiful as ever, and they do not cause as much harm to the environment. You can even go a step further by not using paper invitations, but rather opting for digital alternatives.
Tip # 2: Wear an eco-friendly wedding dress.
The process of quickly producing wedding dresses can lead to pollution and excessive water use. But, there are plenty of wedding dress designers out there that are thoughtful when it comes to their wedding dress creation process. A smart thing to do is to seek out local, sustainable designers when going wedding dress shopping. Another great tip is to wear a secondhand dress. Wearing a family heirloom is special and brings your family together even more on your special day. If you don’t have a family dress, there are stores that accept donated dresses and sell them for much cheaper prices. You can save money and the earth by opting to wear a secondhand dress.
Tip # 3: Give out eco-friendly wedding favors.
There are many great wedding favors that are sustainable and do not hurt the earth. Succulents and take home floral centerpieces are one example. Guests can plant these small plants at home or in flower boxes, and watch them grow and bloom, constantly being reminded of your beautiful wedding day. Another eco-conscious wedding favor is customized drinking glasses. You can give this gift to guests at the start of the reception, and then have them keep up with and reuse the same glass the entire night until they take it home with them. Using one glass the entire night cuts down on running the dishwasher at the event and eliminates any need for plastic cups. Another smart idea is to fill up goodie bags with local treats that guests can enjoy once the night is over. Buying locally limits the extra packaging and shipping pollution that results from purchasing in bulk from online retailers.
Tip # 4: Opt for eco-friendly send off ideas.
When the night is almost over and it is time to send off the newlyweds, think about using some greener alternatives rather than traditional sparklers, fireworks, and lanterns. Fireworks and sparklers may look pretty, but they cause a lot of air pollution. Consider having guests throw biodegradable confetti or flower petals as the bride and groom head to their car. Also think about lighting up the sky with biodegradable chinese lanterns rather than regular lanterns or fireworks. Another fun, eco-friendly way to get your guests involved in the send-off is by blowing bubbles. There are countless ways to send off the new couple without having to hurt the environment.
The Flint Hill wedding venue will work with you to make sure your wedding is exactly what you want, while also striving to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Our beautiful antebellum venue is large enough to host both the wedding and reception for up to 275 guests. Also, our location is very close to Atlanta, which helps minimize transportation needs. We would love to hear more from you on how we can make weddings greener and better for our earth overall, and hope to host your wedding soon!